Mail-bag catcher.



PATENTED JUNE 9, 1908.

No. 890,353. A

w. GAGE, SR. MAIL BAG GATGHER.

APPLICATION rum) FEB. 14, 1908.

s SHEETSSHEET 1.

No. 890,353. PATENTED JUNE 9. 1908. G. W. GAGE, s3. MAIL BAG OATCHER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 14, 1998.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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GEORGE W. GAGE, SR., OF EPPING, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

MAIL-BAG- CATCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 9, 1908.

Application filed February 14, 1908. Serial No. 415,909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. GAGE, Sr.,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Epping, in the county of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail- Bag Catchers, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accom anying drawings. l\/y invention relates to improvements in devices for catching mail bags or the like from rapidly moving trains, and its object is to provide a simple and practical one which will be strong, durable, and comparatively inexpensive in construction and which will effectively catch the mail bags so that their contents will not be injured.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists of the novel features of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved mail bag catcher; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation; Fig. 3 is a top plan view; Fig. 4 is a vertical front to rear sectional view; Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section taken on the plane indicated by the dotted line 5.5 in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the oscillatory member having the cam piece; Fig. 7 is a per spective view of the cross head; and Fig. 8 is a detail view of one of the spring connections.

The invention consists of an upright stop member 1 cushioned to receive the impact of the mail bag and one or more swinging spring actuated gripping members 2 which are released by the member 1 when the bag strikes it and which are adapted to hold the bag upon the latter.

The device is mounted upon a suitable support 3 here shown in the form of an ele vated platform arranged adjacent to the track and provided upon its top with bearings 4 for a rock shaft 5. The latter is disposed at right angles to the track and forms the pivot for the stop member 1 which is disposed normally in a vertical or perpendicular position and is adapted to swing to either sideof the perpendicular. Said member 1 is preferably m'the form of an open frame of rectangular or other shape and composed of tubular metal bars and castings, as shown.

It is secured to the shaft or pivot 5 by keying or otherwise fixing thereto lugs or projections 6 which depend from its bottom.

In order to partially absorb the momentum of the mail bag as it strikes the stop member or frame 1, the opening in the latter is covered with an elastic or yieldable grating composed, preferably, of chains or other flexible elements 8 stretched across the open part of the frame and having at one or both of their ends spring devices, each consisting of a coil spring 9 arranged upon an eye bolt 10 which projects through and slides in one of the bars of said frame or member 1. The spring 9 is confined between an adjusting nut 11 upon the threaded end of the bolt 10 and one of the bars of said frame or member; and the eye of said bolt has one of the chains 8 attached to it. As shown, the chains 8 ex tend both vertically and horizontally and intersect; but it will be understood that any other arran ement of the chains may be provided and that for them may be substituted any other cushioning device or devices for reducing the shock of a mail bag when it strikes the stop member.

Secured to the member 1, at its lower inner or rear corner, is an oscillatory member 12 preferably in the form of a casting which has an upper portion 13 united to the member or frame 1 and serving as a support for the gripping member or members 2, and a dependin cam piece or rock arm 14 of substantially triangular shape. The lower corners 15 of the piece or arm 14 form cam portions which carry anti friction rollers 16 adapted to engage a cross piece or head 17 upon a plunger or piston rod 18. The cross head 17. is preferably adjustably secured by a set screw 19 upon the intermediate portion of the rod 18, and the latter has fixed upon its lower end a piston head 20 arranged in an air tight cylinder 21. The upper portion of the rod 18 is arranged in a stationary guide bar 22 and it is surrounded by a coil spring 23 confined between said guide and a stop shoulder or collar 24 at the extreme upper end of said rod. The spring 23 tends to force the rod upwardly so that the cross head 17 will hold the oscillatory cam piece or arm 14 in its vertical position shown in Fig. 2 and the stop member 1 will therefore be supported in its normal perpendicular position. When a bag strikes either side of the stop member or frame 1, the latter will be swung or tilted by the impact of the bag so that the roller 16 at one of the lower corners of the arm 14 will force the cross head 17 clownwardly. The latter carries the rod 18 and its piston so that the spring 23 is compressed and the piston 20 compresses the air beneath it and forms a vacuum above it in its cylinder 21. Thus it will be seen that the movement of the stop member in either di-' rection will be cushioned or checked both by the spring and by the pneumatic piston and cylinder, and that the momentum of a mail bag as it strikes said stop member will be effectively taken up and all shocks destructive to the contents of the bag will be eliminated. The compression of the air beneath the piston and the formation of a vacuum above the same provides an effective pneu matic cushioning means, which latter is further reinforced by the spiral spring on the piston rod, so that the chance of injury to the contents of the mail bag or sack is reduced to a minimum. The spring 23 not only serves to cushion or check the movement of the stop member but also to restore it and the piston 20 to their normal positions. 25 denotes an oiling plug in the top of the I cylinder.

If desired, a suitable covering (not illustrated) may be provided for protecting the parts above described from snow and ice.

The swinging bag gripping members 2 are preferably in the form of open frames of substantially rectangular shape composed of metal tubes or pipe sections and I preferably provide two of them so that the catcher may be used upon either a single or a double track for trains running in either direction. One of the gripping members 2 is arranged upon each side of the stop member to swing inwardly against the same so as to hold or press the bag against said stop member.

Their inner vertical sides are provided with bearings 26 which receive and rotate upon stationary vertical shafts or uprights 27. The latter rise from the upper portion-13 of the oscillatory member 12 and have their upper ends steadied by a cross bar 28 which unites them. Coil springs 29 are arranged upon the shafts 27 for actuating the gripping members inwardly towardthe stop member, each of said springs having one of its ends fixed at 30 to said shaft and its other end 31 hooked over a portion of the gripping member or frame 2, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The gripping members, when open, are disposed outside of the vertical plane of the adjacent side of the platform or support 3 and said members are adapted to be held in such open position by their engagement with fixed catches or stops 32 arranged upon said platform. But one of the gripping members is open at a time, that one being the one nearest to the direction from which the approaching train or car comes, so that when the suspended mail bag or sack upon said car or train strikes the stop member 1 and the latter is rocked to a slight extent beyond the perpendicular, owing to the impact of the bag, the bottom of the gripping member 2 will be lifted above the plane of its catch or stop 32 and its actuating spring 29 will swing it inwardly to engage the bag and hold it against the stop member 1. By providing the spring actuated bag gripping members and constructing them so that they will be automatically released when the bag strikes and rocks the stop member, it will be seen that the bag will be instantly grabbed and held and there will be little or no danger of injury to any person or persons who may be standing near the device.

Any suitable means may be employed for suspending the mail bag or sack from a moving car or train at such distance and height that it will strike the elastic grating or covering 8 of the stop member or frame when the suspending means passes over the latter.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in their normal position shown in the drawings, the gripping member 2, upon that side from which the train is approaching, is swung to its open position in which it is held by its coacting catch or stop 32. When the train passes the device, the suspended bag will strike the chains 8 of the stop frame, which chains, owing to their elastic or spring connections, will tend to check the momentum of the bag. The momentum of the latter, however, is sufficient to swing or rock said member 1 upon its shaft 5 so that the cam arm 14 will depress the cross head 17, the rod 18, and the piston 20 as above set forth. These several cushioning devices will effectively cushion and check the bag so that there will be no injury to its contents; The instant the gripping member 2 is released from its catch by the tilting or rocking of the stop member, the co-acting springs of the gripping member will swing it inwardly to cause it to engage and press the bag against the chains 8, thereby holding the bag until said frame 2 is swung outwardly so that the bag can drop upon the platform.

It will be noted that the device is exceedingly strong and durable in construction and at the same time simple so that it can be produced at a comparatively small cost; and that it will effectively stop and hold the mail bag or sack without injury to the contents of the latter or to persons standing near by.

While I have shown and described in detail the preferred embodiment of the invention it will be understood that I do not wish to belimited to the precise construction set forth, since various changes in the form, proportion and minor details may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. A mail bag catcher comprising a swinging stop member, ayieldable cushioning member and a cam member carried by the swinging stop member and adapted to engage said cushioning member.

2. A mail bag catcher comprising a swinging stop member, a slidably mounted cushioning member and avcam member actuated by the swinging stop member and adapted to engage said cushioning member.

3. A mail bag catcher comprising a swinging member, a cylinder, a piston in the latter, a spring for actuating said piston in one direction and operative connections between the piston and said member.

4. A mail bag catcher comprising a swinging member, a cylinder, a piston in the latter, a spring for actuating said piston in one direction, a head actuated by said piston and a cam piece or arm carried by said member and adapted to co-act with said head.

5. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, an upright stop member pivoted at its lower end upon said support and adapted to swing to either side of the perpendicular, an air tight cylinder, a piston therein, a rod for the latter, a guide for said rod, a coil spring upon the rod, a cross head upon the rod and a cam piece or arm carried by said swinging stop member and adapted to co-act with said cross head.

6. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, a movable stop member thereon, a coacting gripping member carried by the stop member andself actuated to its gripping position and a stationary stop for holding the gripping member in an inoperative position, the gripping member being adapted to be moved out of engagement with the stop by the movement of the stop member when struck by a mail bag.

7. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, an upright stop member pivoted at one of its ends, means for cushioning the swinging movement of said stop member, a swinging gripping member carried by the stop member and self actuated to its gripping position, and a stationary stop adapted to engage the gripping member to hold it in its inoperative position, said gripping member being adapted to be moved out of engagement with the stop by the movement of the stop member when the latter is struck by a mail bag.

8. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, an upright stop member arranged for swinging movement, gripping members carried by said stop member and self actuated in an inward direction toward opposite sides of the stop. member, means for cushioning the stop member and means for holding the gripping members open and releasing them when the stop member is actuated.

9. A mailbag catcher comprising a support, bearings thereon, a horizontal shaft in said bearings, an upright stop member arranged on said shaft for swinging movement, said stop member having an upright frame covered by flexible elements and parallel upright pivots, swinging gripping members arranged upon said pivots, springs for actuating said gripping members in an inward direction toward opposite sides of the stop frame or member, means for cushioning the stop member and stop projections arranged upon the support and adapted to be engaged by said gripping members.

10. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, a swinging stop member thereon, a spring actuated gripping member upon the stop member and a stop projection arranged upon the support and extending into the path of the gripping member when the stop member is perpendicular.

11. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, an upright stop member pivoted at its ower end to swing to either side of the perpendicular, spring actuated gripping members pivotally mounted to swing towards the opposite sides of the stop member, means for cushioning said stop member and means for holding the gripping members open.

12. A mail bag catcher comprising a suport, an upright stop member pivoted at its ower end to swing to either side of the perpendicular, spring actuated gripping members pivotally mounted to swing towards the opposite sides of the stop member, means for holding said gripping members open and releasing them. when the stop member is actuated, a cam piece or arm carried by the stop member, a cylinder, a piston therein, a spring for actuating the piston in one direction, and a cross head connected to the piston and adapted to be actuated by said cam piece or arm. 13. A mail bag catcher comprising a support, an upright stop member pivoted at its ower end upon said support, and adapted to swing to either side of the perpendicular, an air tight cylinder, a piston therein, a rod for the latter, a guide for said rod, a coil spring upon the rod, a cross head upon the rod, an oscillatory member carried by the stop member and provided with a cam piece or arm to operate said cross head, upright shafts rising from said oscillatory member, a cross bar connecting the upper ends of said shafts, gripping members pivoted to swing from said shafts, springs for actuating said gripping" members inwardly toward the stop member and stops upon the support to hold said gripping members open.

14. A mail bag catcher comprising a cushioned stop member or frame elements stretched across the frame, and elastic connections for said elements.

15. A mail bag catcher comprising a cushionecl stop member or frame, flexible elenuts on their threaded ends and portions of ments stretched across the frame and spring I the frame. 10

connections for said elements. In testimony whereof I hereunto affiX my 16. A mail bag catcher comprising a cushsignature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ioned stop member, eye bolts sliolable in the GEORGE W. GAGE, SR.

frame, flexible elements stretched across the Witnesses:

frame and connected to the eye bolts and WVM. H. DEARBORN,

springs upon the eye bolts confined between WALTER P. SANBORN. 

